Member News

Please let your all veterans know the DOD is not contacting them via the internet to submit personal information in order to receive base access.  We received a call from our Retired Activities Office (Paul Dillon) making us aware of this.  Please put the word out.  More to follow.

Museum Assistant, Site Supervisor, Eric Sloane Museum, Kent, CT

 

The State of Connecticut, Department of Economic and Community Development invites applications for the position of Museum Assistant located at the Eric Sloane Museum in Kent, CT. This position is best suited for someone who is self-motivated, can work in a rural environment, has an interest in American History and Art History, and who can work independently while building collaborations with the surrounding community, the Friends of Eric Sloane, the Town of Kent, schools, artists, etc. This position is 40 hours/week. The work schedule will include duty at special events and may require changing work stations, and starting and ending times. The position reports to the Director of Arts, Preservation and Museums for the Department of Economic and Community Development.

 

Applications must be received through the State of Connecticut Jobs portal and be received by December 30, 2019. The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

 

Click Here for Information & Application

 For Immediate Release

Contact: Kathleen Tallarita, Kathleen.tallarita@ct.gov, 860.757.5339

***Available in Spanish upon request***

 ACCESS HEALTH CT EXTENDS 2020 HEALTH INSURANCE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD

Extension ends January 15, 2020

• Access Health CT extended the 2020 health insurance Open Enrollment period until January 15, 2020.
• If customers are already covered by an insurance plan through Access Health CT for January 2020 and would like to pick a new plan starting in February 2020, they must pay their January monthly bill (premium).
• If individuals choose a plan during the extension, the coverage will start on February 1, 2020.

 

HARTFORD, Conn. (December 16, 2019)—Access Health CT (AHCT) today announced an extension for the 2020 health insurance Open Enrollment period until January 15, 2020. Access Health CT customers who enrolled in a plan for 2020 now have the option to keep it or find a new plan; however if they make a plan change during this extension period, the new plan will have a start date of February 1, 2020 and they must pay the January bill (premium) for the original plan.

In addition, if new customers sign up for health insurance plans through Access Health CT from now until January 15, 2020, their coverage will start February 1, 2020.

“We know there are customers who are automatically enrolled in a health insurance plan every year who do not notice changes in their out-of-pocket costs or premiums until they use their plan or get their bills,” said Chief Executive Officer of AHCT, James Michel. “There is a lot to think about when selecting a health insurance plan and we want to make sure our customers are able to pick the best plan for themselves and their families. We hope this extra time gives them the ability to make sure they picked a plan that fits their needs and gives them the best value in 2020.”

Access Health CT will continue to offer free help to all Connecticut residents during the extension:

• Online: AccessHealthCT.com or Live Chat
• In-person:
  • In 12 Enrollment Fairs and 5 Centers and Navigators: Learn.accesshealthct.com/findus
  • With Brokers or Enrollment Specialists: look for one here

• Over the phone: 1-855-805-4325 (TTY 1-855-789-2428). Hours may vary.

*Closed December 25 & 28, 2019 and January 1, 2020.

About Access Health CT

Access Health CT (AHCT), Connecticut’s official health insurance marketplace established in 2011, supports health reform efforts at the state and national level. AHCT provides Connecticut residents with resources for better health, and an enhanced and more coordinated healthcare experience, which results in healthier people, healthier communities and a healthier Connecticut. AHCT’s mission is to increase the number of insured residents in Connecticut, promote health, lower costs, and eliminate health disparities. Connecticut residents and small business owners can compare and enroll in healthcare coverage and apply for tax credits for individuals through AHCT. AHCT (or the Marketplace) also partners with the Dept. of Social Services for eligibility and enrollment with state Medicaid Insurance and Children’s Health Insurance Programs. For more information, please visit www.AccessHealthCT.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AccessHealthCT and follow us on Twitter @AccessHealthCT.

The last Green Valley, Inc. (TLGV) awarded almost $60,000 in grants as part of its largest funding program in more than a decade. More than 20 organizations and communities applied for the Community Enrichment Grant Program.

 

“The diversity and far reaching impacts of all the applications was exciting to see,” said Lois Bruinooge, executive director of TLGV. “We were able to fund eight projects and believe they will benefit not only the immediate communities they are in, but the entire Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor for many years to come.”

 

TLGV offered the grants to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of its National Heritage Corridor designation. Projects aimed at conserving, celebrating or enhancing The Last Green Valley’s significant natural and historic resources or promoting economic development such as tourism and outdoor nature-based recreation, were eligible for the funding.

 

TLGV is a member-supported non-profit charged with stewardship of the unique agricultural, natural, historic and cultural resources of one of the nation’s oldest national heritage corridors, The Last Green Valley.

 

Recipients of the grants are:

 

The Community Food Collaborative in Sturbridge, MA received $6,000 for enhancements to make the community garden more efficient and productive. The garden ensures a food pantry in Southbridge can offer fresh produce to Sturbridge and Southbridge residents in need.

 

Killingly Intermediate School in Killingly, CT received $3,424.48 for the creation of three nature trails on the school property. The trails will be part of a larger curriculum-based initiative on ecosystems and forest health.

 

The Town of Mansfield, CT received $7,500 for trail work, including signage, improvements and a trail guide, on its new Simpson-Wood Preserve. The town will be working with Boy Scout Troop 56 and students from EO Smith High School on improvements to the property. The preserve also connects to the town’s 35-acre Mt. Hope Park.

 

Pierce Care in Brooklyn, CT received $10,000 for a light pollution reduction program at its Creamery Brook Retirement Village. The grant will help fund replacement of fixtures which create significant sky glow on the 12-acre campus.

 

Union School in Union, CT was awarded $9,747 for its Union United effort on the school grounds. Effort have been underway for several years to make Union School both the educational and community center of Connecticut’s smallest town by population. The grant will fund enhancements to outdoor classroom space, an outdoor gathering space and the creation of a community garden.

 

Windham County 4-H Foundation in Pomfret, CT was awarded $10,000 for dam repairs. The dam is essential to the maintenance of the 4-H Camp pond on its 265-acre property. The pond is the center of activity during summer camps and is integral in the programming of the Ragged Hill Environmental Science programs.

 

The Windham Region Community Council in Willimantic, CT received $10,000 for is Thread City Family Garden Outdoor Classroom. While the council and its GROW Windham effort are the applicants, it is truly the Windham Youth Core, a high school leadership group, that is leading the effort to build outdoor classroom and gathering space at their existing half-acre Thread City Family Garden.

 

The Town of Thompson, CT was awarded $2,500 for its Garden by The River Project at 65 Main St. The garden is phase one of a long-term vision to reclaim the property and rehabilitate a historic building there. The garden will include installation of a rain garden and a community garden.

 

All grants must be matched 1:1 by cash or in-kind contributions. The grants for the eight projects will translate into almost $200,000 of additional benefits to the region.

 

The Community Enrichment Grants were the last of several funding opportunities offered by TLGV to organizations and municipalities in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. A total of $75,000 in grants were awarded this fall.

 

The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is the last stretch of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington, D.C.  The Last Green Valley, Inc. works for you in the National Heritage Corridor. Together we can care for it, enjoy it and pass it on!

Windham Region No Freeze Project, a life-saving non-profit program located in Willimantic, will be displaced from its current location sometime between January and April 2020 and is actively seeking a new home.

 

• The 17-year-old shelter and assistance program is seeking a permanent location in Willimantic, close to the services and programs their constituents rely upon every day.

 

• The landlord at 75 Bridge Street, an aging Willimantic retail plaza and the program’s current location, has served the No Freeze with eviction papers and asked the seasonal shelter that operates between November and April to leave by December 31.

 

• The program’s lease agreement states that the No Freeze has the option to extend their lease for up to 3 years at the end of the current lease. The current lease expires on December 31, 2019. The landlord is not honoring the program’s lease option.

 

• When the eviction notice was delivered, the landlord blamed the eviction on an incident that happened somewhere in the plaza, but not in, in front of, or close to the program’s space.

 

• The incident involved a person who stayed at the shelter one night, coming to Willimantic from New Haven. Once No Freeze management became aware of the incident, the assailant was permanently banned from ever using the No Freeze program again.

 

• The No Freeze has officially requested remediation with the landlord to try to negotiate a reasonable exit at the end on the 2019 2020 season in April.

 

• Over its 17 year history, the Windham Region No Freeze Project has operated in five different locations within Willimantic including 75 Bridge Street.

 

• The No Freeze Project may need a temporary space to house the shelter and other programs until a permanent location can be identified and purchased or leased. According to Windham Planning & Zoning, the only suitable zoning districts for the homeless program are B4 and B1a designations.

 

• Any new space needs to be big enough to accommodate all services and be within walking distance of other community programs including the Covenant Soup Kitchen, Generations, WAIM, Access Agency, Perception Programs, United Services and others.

 

• The desired permanent location would involve a building the non-profit could own and not be displaced from. This location needs to be in Willimantic, close to the services guests need, and must embrace the purpose of the program and the people it serves. The location should be at least 3000 square feet to achieve the non-profit’s requirements.

 

 

About the No Freeze:

 

• Dedicated to the long-term survival of homeless adults in the region, the Windham Region No Freeze Project provides seasonal shelter between November and April for adults who find themselves with no safe place to sleep during cold winter months.

 

• Throughout the year, the Windham Region No Freeze Project operates a drop-in center where guests can register for services, access shower facilities and personal hygiene items, strengthen connections to the community, and establish alliances with human services organizations. The drop-in program helps people at risk of homelessness access basic needs including food, clothing, hygiene, personal support, transportation services, and diversion funding to keep them out of shelter .

 

 

• Over the 2018-2019 season, the Windham Region No Freeze Project accomplished the following life-saving services:

• • completed intakes, assessments and navigation services for more than 300 people,
  • delivered diversion funding that prevented at least 45 people from becoming homeless,
  • provided emergency shelter for 143 adults, and
  • successfully and permanently housed 98 people. 

 

• The Windham Region No Freeze Project is currently run 100% on donations and private foundation grants. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of existing state and federal tax laws.

 

• The organization provides entry level jobs to peoples returning to the workforce after experiencing homelessness, and is a training site for college students from ECSU and UCONN who are interested in social service careers.

  

The information transmitted in this message is intended only for the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination, or other use of, or taking any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

Please forward to any current 10^th or 11^th grade student who has at least a 3.5 GPA and is the son or daughter of an active U.S. military service member, reservist, or guard to apply online today!

Please share with guidance counselors and families who may be eligible.

This is an amazing opportunity!

 

USC is offering its Summer Scholarship for Military Dependents again in 2020! 

 

Highly-motivated high school students of active duty families can apply to receive a full scholarship to attend the rigorous USC Summer Programs, 4 week college credit program.

The scholarship covers the entire tuition and fees, airfare, ground transportation, room and board, and course materials.

 

Follow this link for more information, application and information also attached:

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/2020-USC-Summer-Scholarship.html?soid=1118715499946&aid=3ymCETkfkc8